New Perspectives
by benjammindeth
Summary: AU for both games. Beinir Shepard survived the destruction of the Normandy, but not in one piece. Romance subplot fully kicks in later. Note: Fic has been ended in favor of a new one.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to BioWare and EA. This is merely my take on the universe.

A/N: Quick background on Beinir Shepard (Default male appearance, except he's blonde):

Spacer.  
Sole Survivor.  
Soldier.  
Mostly Paragon, but has gotten more cynical as time has marched on.  
Recruited everyone to fight Saren.  
Released Rachni Queen (Pragmatic - Saw her as an ally against the Reapers).  
Killed the colonists and Shiala on Feros.  
Ashley died on Virmire (Training kicked in – save the officer, not the enlisted soldier).  
Completed Tali, Wrex and Garrus side missions.  
Found Kahoku, eliminated all the Cerberus ops, Toombs killed the scientist and himself.  
Saren suicided - Focused on Sovereign – Anderson on Council.

DIVERGENCES FROM ME1 PLOT/GAMEPLAY:

Brought entire squad with him on missions.  
Had squad train each other to proficiency in assault rifles, decryption, electronics, and first aid.  
Stole Saren's research data on Virmire to secure Wrex and the Krogan as allies for the Reaper War.  
Took recordings of everything Prothean and Reaper related, especially on Virmire.  
Murdered Udina in front of the Council after being informed of Normandy lockdown (They didn't like Udina, and the Turian Councilor finally saw that Shepard was worthy of being a Spectre. The lockdown lasted all of thirty seconds after the shotgun blast).  
Set up care packages for himself and his ground team after Virmire, consisting of five million credits and Spectre X weapons for each person.  
Tali came to see him before Ilos. No suit removal, but she comforted and inspired him.

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

Beinir Shepard was bored of hunting Geth. He never seemed to encounter any action needing himself or his ground team, so he was stuck doing busywork on _SSV Normandy_. He was glad that the mess was empty at that particular moment, because he needed his morning coffee before he slogged through the briefings on the latest incidents the Council had sent him to deal with.

He was looking over the reports of Geth sightings near someplace in the Terminus Systems, 'Illium, right?' The information was sparse, but apparently the synthetics had only been in-system long enough to change which direction they were taking the mass relay. The Council had sent him as a precaution, knowing that while the _Normandy_ wasn't meant for stand-up fights, Shepard would call in the heavy hitters.

Beinir had just set his mug down when Joker shouted over the intercom, "Brace for evasive maneuvers!" Seconds later the ship rocked, spilling his coffee onto the datapad and shorting out the poor device. He managed to stay in his seat, then ran over to his locker to get his Colossus X armor.

* * *

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya was in the elevator, which she had modified to go faster just after she came on board the _ Normandy_, on her way to the mess when she heard Joker on the intercom. She was sent sprawling when the ship took the first hit, but she got out of the lift and ran for Shepard's quarters. Before she got there, she noticed the man sprinting over to the control panel near the sleeper pods. She took off in his direction and shouted through the fire and flames, "Beinir!"

Beinir secured his helmet and told Tali, "Distress beacon is ready for launch."

She frantically asked him, "Will the Alliance or Council get here in time?!"

Another explosion, then he tossed her a fire extinguisher and they both started trying to put out the fires. Shepard replied, "Not bloody likely, knowing their slowness. Tali, I need you to get everyone to the escape pods."

She reported to him, "Joker's still flying, he won't abandon ship." A moment later she added, "I don't want to leave you, Beinir."

Shepard, ever the one to look after his crew, told her, "I'll take care of Joker, you get everyone out of here, yourself included."

"I-"

He turned to look her in the eye and gently but firmly ordered, "Tali, go. Now."

Dismayed, she answered, "You got it, Beinir."

Tali ran to the nearest pod along with several other crew members and ushered them in, yelling, "Everyone in! There's not much time!" One servicewoman was caught in an explosion and died before she hit the floor. Tali climbed in the pod and hit the button to eject. As the panel covering the pods swung out she wondered, 'Why didn't the Alliance use exploding bolts instead? It would be much faster.'

* * *

Shepard ran through the smoke while Joker sent a distress signal of his own. "Mayday, mayday, mayday, this is _SSV Normandy_! We've suffered heavy damage from an unknown enemy!" The door opened, and the remaining atmosphere was sucked out into space. Shepard silently thanked Kassa Fabrications for putting electromagnets in the boots of his armor as that was the only thing preventing him from being sucked out as well.

When Beinir reached the cockpit, he wasted no time, hefting Joker over his shoulder in a fireman's carry while telling him, "Sorry about the rough ride, but we gotta go!" He threw the pilot into the remaining escape pod and was almost in the pod himself when he felt an insane amount of heat in his legs. An explosion knocked him into the pod, and Joker hit the eject button.

The pod launched, and both men saw the attacking ship carve up the _Normandy_ like a tender roast and leave. The last thing Joker expected was his commander's blood-curdling cry of pain as he looked and saw that Shepard's legs had been severed at the halfway point between his groin and his knees.

* * *

The hour it took for the Alliance cruiser _SSV Manila_ to rescue the surviving crew from the _Normandy_ was the most excruciatingly painful hour of Beinir Shepard's life. When Doctor Chakwas and the _Manila_'s medical crew made it to his pod, he was on the brink of passing out from the pain. The voices around him were fuzzy and far away, but one was clear.

Tali saw Shepard being pulled from the pod... or rather, most of him. 'Keelah, his legs are gone!' She immediately ran over to him and promised him, "You stay with us, Beinir, I'll help fix you up!"

He took off his helmet, weakly told her, "You're a sweetheart, Tali, but you have a Pilgrimage..." before he finally passed out on the hovering gurney on his way to the _Manila_'s medical bay.

Chakwas raised an eyebrow and Tali responded, "The Migrant Fleet can wait. Shepard needs my help." She lowered her voice so that only the two of them could hear, "I care about him too much to just leave."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to BioWare and EA. This is merely my take on the universe.

_**SSV Manila**_** Medical Bay  
****Ten hours later**

Beinir Shepard woke up in a haze and wondered, 'What the Hell?' Then he noticed the IV in his arm and the fact that his legs had been amputated. He also saw Joker sitting on one of the beds for Doctor Chakwas to determine how many bones were broken and how badly. 'At least they gave me the good drugs.'

Drugs or no, seeing Tali curled up in a corner quietly sobbing was a soul-wrenching moment for him. He never liked seeing women cry to begin with (unless they had crossed him badly, in which case he didn't care), but he had liked Tali from the moment he met her. Strong, willing to sacrifice, one Hell of an engineer and mechanic, curious, and he couldn't help but notice her figure. Still, the mission left little time for getting to know the crew, let alone any kind of romance. He weakly called out to her, "Tali..."

That got the attention of the other three occupants of the medical bay, all of whom rushed to his side. Joker started with, "I don't know what to say, except that I'm sorry, commander. I-"

Shepard wasn't having any of that. "Joker, if you're going to blame anybody, blame the dickheads who attacked us! Whoever they were."

Tali decided to interject, "No one knows who hit us, Beinir. But energy weapons and the ability to track the _Normandy_ while the stealth systems were engaged..." She didn't need to finish the thought.

He just had to know, "Did everyone get out alive?"

Chakwas knew that the bad news had to be spilled, so she did it. "No. Pressly and nineteen others died with the _Normandy_. Your squad all made it, though."

'Except Ashley,' He bitterly thought to himself. Still, he could grieve over fallen comrades later. "Whoever hit us had large-scale energy weapons. They're probably working with the Reapers. We have to warn the Council." He tried to sit up, but Tali and Chakwas held him down.

The Doctor explained to him, "Beinir, when you lost your legs, the stumps were instantly cauterized. That's the only reason you didn't bleed out between then and our rescue."

Resigning himself to being bedridden for a while longer, he asked, "Speaking of which, is there a way for me to walk again? I can't lead a ground team or do much of anything else if I'm a double amputee."

Joker chose that moment to ask, "Hey Commander, remember those old Earth vids 'The Terminator' and 'The Six Million Dollar Man'?"

Shepard remembered watching them in the Comm Room on the _Normandy_ on one of their post-victory movie nights. Then the spark of an idea hit him. "Ladies, would it be possible to build thought-controlled cybernetic legs and grow skin coverings over them to match my original legs?"

After a moment of thought, Tali and Chakwas answered in unison, "Yes."

Tali took Shepard's left hand in both of hers and told him, "I'll build them, Beinir. I just need your dimensions."

Joker hobbled out while Chakwas said, "I'll work with Tali to get you moving again, Commander." Then she left the room to give them some time alone. Tali helped him up and sat on the bed next to him.

Shepard immediately asked, "Tali, how long were you sitting there?"

"Since we brought you in here, Beinir. I wasn't leaving you alone." She held him tight and quietly told him, "You matter too much to me – I mean, to the galaxy, and the Council, and -"

Shepard rubbed her back, then looked her in the eye and asked, "Tali, you're the most selfless person I know. Would it be so bad to be a little selfish this time?"

'Keelah, could it be?' She answered, "That may be the case for humans, but Quarians are different. We just – we have to think of others, always." She laid him back down and slid off the bed, then stammered, "I – I should, you know, get to work on your new legs. Heroes need to walk, after all, but I'll visit you when I get the chance, all right?"

Shepard kissed the back of her hand, 'Not that she feels it through the suit, but it's the thought that counts, right?' "Sounds like a plan, miss Tali'Zorah."

Chakwas, having silently observed everything through the window, chose that moment to open the door and ask him, "How are you feeling, Commander?"

He felt a dull, building pain in his stumps and quipped, "I'm gonna need more of the good drugs, Doc."

'His sense of humor's coming out. There's hope for him.' She informed him, "We'll be transferring you to the Mars Naval Medical Center in seven hours. Tali and I will design your cybernetics here, then they'll be built and attached there." She pressed the button to give him another dose of painkillers, then told him, "You should rest until then, the crew is adjusting as well as can be expected."

Before he passed out again, he mumbled, "Thanks, Doc."

* * *

**Two weeks later**

Beinir Shepard had had a busy time, even while he was waiting for his new legs. Over a secure vid-link, the Council and Alliance Command reviewed his team's intelligence on the Reapers and supplied him with a new ship, the _SSV Andromeda_. She was a cruiser retrofitted with a larger Tantalus drive core, multiple fusion reactors, stealth systems, standard GARDIAN defenses, missiles, M/A cannons, and twenty turreted versions of a prototype weapon, the Wrath Cannon. Essentially Salarian-style GARDIAN lasers on steroids, the weapons could slice and dice capital ships to scrap metal with little effort, even at long range.

The entire surviving Alliance crew of the _Normandy_ were assigned to the _Andromeda_, as well as the additional personnel needed to fill out the crew complement. Commander Shepard had been promoted to Captain, Wrex had returned to Tuchanka to unite the clans, but Garrus and Liara stayed with Shepard. Tali had requested to see him when he had a moment, 'Something about a non-traditional ending to her Pilgrimage?'

When the doors to the Comm Room opened, she was there waiting for him. She had a slight spring to her step as she hugged him and whispered, "Congratulations on your promotion, _Captain_."

"Thank you, Tali. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Normally, when a Quarian finds a significant gift, they return to the fleet and become the crew of a new ship. But... well... I feel I would – I mean, the Fleet would be better served by me staying with you – I mean, under your command, I -"

'She wants to stay here? Wow, she really cares...' He took both of her hands in his and softly told her, "Tali, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. There's no one else I'd rather have at my side, or as my chief engineer."

Blushing under her faceplate, she replied, "Thank you, Beinir. I'll program the Migrant Fleet's current location into the _Andromeda_'s computers. I'd... like to make my request to the Admiralty Board in person."

'I guess this'll count for meeting the parent.' He smiled. "That'll be our first stop once we're underway."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to BioWare and EA. This is merely my take on the universe.

_**SSV Andromeda  
****On approach to the Migrant Fleet  
****Bridge**_

Newly-promoted Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko was on the bridge with Joker when they caught their first glimpse of the Quarian Migrant Fleet. Joker's screen indicated the presence of more than fifty thousand ships, though only a few hundred true warships. Others had been converted for the purpose, but they were stopgap measures to ensure the fleet's safety while the warships were en route to any situations.

Kaidan whistled softly and wondered, "Why don't they find a planet off the beaten path to settle?"

Joker, who himself had been promoted to Lieutenant Commander, replied, "Hell if I know, Commander. It's probably political anyway."

Tali and Shepard entered the bridge at that moment and Tali opened a comm channel to the Fleet. "This is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, requesting permission to dock with the _Rayya_."

The communications officer on the _Rayya_ replied, "Our sensors have your vessel flagged as Systems Alliance. Verify."

Tali recited the phrase she had been taught for when she returned and all was well. "After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began."

The comm officer saw that her pass phrase matched the one on record for all being well for her. "Docking clearance granted. Welcome home, Tali'Zorah."

Tali muted the line for a moment and told her crewmates, "No offense, but," unmuting the line, "I'd like a security and quarantine team to meet us. Our ship is not clean."

Joker was almost offended by that request, but he remembered how messed up Quarian immune systems were and manged to keep his mouth shut for once.

'Blasted immune systems.' The comm officer replied, "Understood. Approach exterior docking cradle seventeen."

Shepard told his newly-minted Executive Officer, "Kaidan, you have the bridge."

Kaidan snapped a smart salute and said, "Aye-aye, sir!"

* * *

After the _Andromeda_ came in to dock, the _Rayya_'s captain, Kar'Danna vas Rayya met Shepard and Tali at his end of the docking cradle. He greeted them, "Captain Shepard vas Andromeda, thank you for delivering her home safely. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, welcome home. Have you decided on a ship?"

Subconsciously edging closer to Beinir, she fidgeted as she answered, "As much as the Fleet would love to have me back, especially with the gift I bring, I want - feel they would be better served if I remained aboard the _Andromeda_."

The Quarian captain stood there for a minute, dumbfounded. Very few Quarians had requested to serve aboard an alien ship after they completed their Pilgrimage, and only after Admiralty Board approval. "I'll arrange a meeting with the Admirals currently aboard. I believe your father is among them. Head down to the garden plaza, I'll let them know."

Shepard quirked an eyebrow inside his helmet. "That was easier than I was expecting."

Tali nervously explained, "Quarians choosing to serve on, uh, alien, ships is not unheard of, just extremely rare. As far as I know, I would be the eighth Quarian to serve elsewhere after my Pilgrimage, if the Admiralty approves."

He put his hand on her shoulder and she relaxed somewhat when he asked, "I can see why your father would object, but what about the other admirals?"

"I don't know, it depends on who else is there." She grabbed his hand and told him, "Come on, the plaza is this way."

* * *

As they made their way to the plaza, Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay smiled under her faceplate. 'He may be human, but if her emails are anything to go by, he's a genuinely good man.' Shaking her head, she added, 'Ah, young love. I hope they survive to make it last.' She moved to intercept the pair.

* * *

Admirals Rael'Zorah, Han'Gerrel, and Daro'Xen stood in a corner of the plaza, all wondering what Tali'Zorah was going to request of them. All they had been told was that Tali needed to speak with them concerning her Pilgrimage. All of them were thinking something along the lines of 'Keelah knows what she has planned.'

* * *

Shala'Raan slipped in next to Tali and Beinir and introduced herself, "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, it's good to see you back from your Pilgrimage."

Tali hugged the other Quarian after exclaiming, "Auntie Raan!" After their embrace, Tali made introductions, "Captain Beinir Shepard vas Andromeda, this is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay."

'So that's my name according to Quarian customs? Maybe I should just go by Captain Shepard.' Having never been good with formalities, he simply shook her hand and asked, "You're Tali's aunt?"

Raan wasn't expecting diplomatic formality, and was thankful that Shepard was relatively laid-back. "Yes, although we are not related by blood, I essentially raised Tali. I'm sure she's told you about her father's dedication to the Fleet."

Shepard replied, "Yeah, she also mentioned that her mother passed when she was young."

Tali changed the subject by asking, "Is Father here?"

Though the others couldn't see it, Shala'Raan smirked as she informed them, "He is aboard, and he will be present for this meeting. He said he wanted to 'meet the man of my daughter's enormous crush.' His words, not mine."

For once, Tali was grateful that Beinir couldn't see her face beneath her faceplate, what with her blushing to no end. The man in question said, "Well, I can imagine the admirals hate to be kept waiting." Taking Tali's hand, he asked, "Shall we?"

As the trio made their way over to the other admirals, Tali answered, "Yes, let's get this done."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to BioWare and EA. This is merely my take on the universe.

A/N: Sorry it's short and late, but I racked my brains trying to come up with something original on the Fleet, but had a failure of inspiration. Next chapter will be more gallivanting about the galaxy.

_**Rayya  
**_**Garden Plaza**

Shala'Raan motioned to Shepard, Tali, and the other admirals to a side room off the plaza. Once they were all in, the door closed and Rael'Zorah started the private meeting by asking, "It's good to see you, Tali, but what kind of Pilgrimage gift needs an Admiralty Board meeting?"

'She did tell me her father puts the fleet first, after his own family even...' Shepard merely nodded to Tali and stood there.

Tali cleared her throat and replied, "Captain Shepard allowed me to make a copy of a massive cache of Geth data we discovered in the Armstrong Cluster after destroying several of their bases. I knew that expectations were high for my gift, but I felt that the whole fleet should benefit, not just one ship."

Han'Gerrel spoke up. "What kind of data, Tali?"

She answered, "I didn't look into it very much, just that it barely fit on the OSD Shepard gave me."

Zaal'Koris added, "For all we know, the data goes back to before the uprising."

Daro'Xen muttered, "As long as it brings them back under our control, I don't care."

Beinir didn't know if anyone else besides he had heard the Admiral, but Tali responded, "I'm sorry Admiral, what did you say?"

The Admiral covered with, "Nothing that concerns you, Tali. What ship do you wish to serve on?"

'What's the phrase, here goes nothing?' Steeling herself, Tali declared, "I wish to serve on the _Andromeda_, with Bei- Captain Shepard. The galaxy sees me as one of the Heroes of the Citadel, it's testament to Shepard that the races of the galaxy can work together-"

Beinir interrupted with, "Tali, I couldn't have done it without everyone, you es- included."

Rael'Zorah made a motion like he was stroking his chin, then said, "Tali, Raan, Shepard, I need to speak with you privately. Fellow Admirals, sorry to tie you up here." The other Admirals took their cue and left.

Rael'Zorah and Shala'Raan looked at each other, nodded and he said, "I think I speak for both of us when I say, 'Treat her well and take care of her, Shepard.' Personally, I'm glad you found him, Tali'Zorah vas Andromeda."

Tali started explaining, "Actually, he found me... wait, 'vas Andromeda'? You're not objecting?"

Rael elaborated, "Tali, most fathers don't want to accept that their daughters have found someone they care deeply about, but given what you've told me about him and his actions, I can say I like Shepard, even if you're different species. Besides, I'm proud to see you representing the Fleet on the crew of a Spectre."

Shala added, "Also, it is not unheard of for a Quarian completing their Pilgrimage to serve on a non-Migrant Fleet ship. You're the first to serve on a primarily human ship, however."

Tali wasn't expecting the two of them to just let her go. "I- thank you. I'll, oh, how do I put this?"

Shepard added, "In this case, I think what you're looking for is, 'Make the Fleet proud.'"

Tali held her head high and quietly declared, "I definitely will."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to BioWare and EA. This is merely my take on the universe.

_**SSV Andromeda  
**_**Bridge**

On the bridge, Joker was listening to some old music when the computer alerted him to an incoming transmission. He saw who was on the other end and called over the shipwide, "Captain, you may want to head to the Comm. Room, Admiral Hackett's on the line."

Down in the mess, Shepard had just grabbed what was supposedly a breakfast sandwich when the pilot made his announcement. He wondered to himself, 'What now?' All he said was, "Thanks, Joker. On my way."

Once he arrived, the room darkened and a hologram of Admiral Steven Hackett flickered into being. Shepard saluted and assumed a parade rest stance. The Admiral said, "Captain Shepard, I hope you had a pleasant visit to the Migrant Fleet."

Unfazed by the pleasantries, Shepard answered, "I did, sir, but I get the feeling that isn't why you called."

Hackett shook his head. "No. We lost contact with the human colony on Horizon while you were on Mars. We sent a pair of N7 commandos to investigate, but their ship sent a distress call before they would have arrived."

Now the Spectre's curiosity was piqued. "They were ambushed?"

"The only readings that were sent in that signal were that their ship, _Fist of Wrath_, was shot down by Cerberus."

'Bloody Hell, just what we needed.' "Admiral, who did the Alliance send? And where did they crash?"

Knowing Shepard wouldn't like the answer, he simply stated, "We sent James and Freya to investigate this one."

Beinir's brow furrowed at the mention of the commandos. Both were in his platoon back in N7 training. James Akers came from the slums of Earth, enlisted at eighteen, graduated as an Infiltrator, and was later christened the 'Lion of Elysium' for singlehandedly saving the colony from a Batarian-funded pirate attack. Freya Rostov had fought the Batarians at sixteen when they hit her home colony of Mindoir, simultaneously discovering the combat potential of her biotics, joined up the day she turned eighteen, became a Vanguard, and became the 'Butcher of Torfan' when she slaughtered the surrendering Batarians on that hellhole of a moon. For them to have been shot down...

"The ironic part is that they crashed at the former site of Saren's base on-"

They both uttered in unison, "Virmire."

Shepard made his decision. "We'll be there soon, Admiral."

"Horizon is priority one on this mission, Shepard. Whatever you do on Virmire, try to make it quick." With that, the transmission ended.

Joker asked Shepard, "Where do we go, Captain?"

"Virmire. Pull out all the stops, Joker. We've got N7 commandos to rescue."

* * *

**Two hours later  
****Entering orbit of Virmire**

Joker reported, "Stealth systems engaged, Captain."

Shepard asked Kaidan, "Any hostiles on our scanners?"

The Sentinel replied, "A couple of Cerberus gunboats and a frigate. Scrap 'em?"

"No. If we can follow them back to their base, maybe we can figure out what they have to do with Horizon. Still, if they wanted to rile up anti-Alliance sentiment on Horizon, why cut off all communications?"

"It may be that some other faction hit the colony."

Activating the shipwide communication system, Shepard ordered, "Ground team to the shuttle bay. Let's go find those commandos." After turning that off, he said, "Joker, you've got the ship."

* * *

**On the surface**

After surviving the crash of the _Fist of Wrath,_ James Akers and Freya Rostov had disappeared into the hills surrounding the crater that used to be Saren's base, but despite their evasion abilities, Cerberus had spotted a brief flash of dark energy when Freya used her biotics to open up the entrance to a cave. Knowing that to stay above ground was suicide, the pair holed up at said entrance while Cerberus dropped their own commandos to deal with them.

James spotted one of the Cerberus goons through the scope of his Volkov X sniper rifle and squeezed the trigger. He turned to Freya and asked, "Hell of a place to get shot down, huh?"

Freya, who had taken it upon herself to be proficient with assault rifles as well as the standard shotgun and pistol, was gunning down her own share of enemies with her Kolvalyov X rifle when she heard something other than gunfire. "Yeah, loads of fun. You hear that shuttle?"

After disposing another of the invaders, he answered, "Probably more of Hades' Dogs coming in. You still have energy drinks?"

She checked her belt. "Yeah, but I'm down to four. I'm laying off the biotics as best I can, but still..."

Sight. Squeeze. 'Another one bites the dust.' "We didn't graduate with Beinir Shepard for nothing, you know. No way is some second-rate terrorist killing us."

More gunfire, not from either them or their assailants. "Wait, I think we have help."

"What?" James peered through his scope, only to see Cerberus agents being gunned down from above. "First we get sent to the Terminus Systems, then shot down by Cerberus, what's next? Batarians?"

* * *

**In the shuttle**

Tali was checking the scanners when the firefight erupted. "Shepard, I think I found where your missing N7's are."

He was securing his weapons and armor when she reported. "What, where?"

Liara looked over at Tali's screen and answered, "They're in the mouth of a cave. I'm also seeing Cerberus dropships in the area."

Shepard grumbled, "It's never simple, is it? Garrus, get rid of those xenophobes."

On the belly turret, Garrus merely replied, "Got it."

He had only fired for three seconds when one of the Cerberus dropships launched a missile barrage. Tali barely had time to shout, "Missiles!," before every last one of them hit the shuttle.

* * *

**Mid-air**

Kaidan heard the cry, and was prepared for the worst, but when he opened his eyes, he realized that the whole team was falling. He knew they were roughly a hundred meters above ground, but they would land in front of the cave opening. He called out to the others, "Everyone get close! Liara, on my go, we're gonna cushion our landing!"

Shepard had been knocked for a loop, but when he heard Kaidan start giving orders, it told him two things. First, he had made the right choice by designating the Sentinel his second in command. Second, 'We're falling. Great.'

Garrus, trying to keep the panic from overcoming the rest of the team, said, "You know, I've done this before, back in the turian military. Only difference was, we had eezo harnesses then."

Tali yelled, "Quiet, you bosh'tet!" She was frantically reprogramming her omni-tool to amplify Kaidan and Liara's biotics in lieu of panicking uselessly.

Shepard had his own tale to relate. "This is like a combat drop, minus the drop pods. I remember hitting this one pirate base on some asteroid in the Terminus..." He would have kept telling the tale, except several things happened simultaneously.

First, Kaidan and Liara awakened their biotics while Tali amplified them, slowing them down, but it would have still hurt when they landed. Second, Joker blasted the Cerberus ships from orbit, significantly increasing the ground team's chances of survival.

Third, Freya saw the team on their way down, mostly recognizing Shepard. She added her own biotics to the mix, allowing Shepard and company to gently touch down feet first.


End file.
